Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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603. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of home school liaison support workers in County Meath in 2023; and the number in 2019, in tabular form. [1165/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme is one of the key supports provided by my Department as part of the overall DEIS programme. Tusla Education Support Service manage the HSCL scheme on behalf of my Department. The scheme seeks to promote partnership between parents, teachers and community family support services, with a view to supporting improved attendance, participation and retention.

All DEIS urban primary schools and all DEIS post-primary schools are included in the HSCL scheme, which currently serves 687 DEIS schools, catering for approximately 207,000 children and young people. The scheme is delivered by 528 full-time HSCL Coordinators, who are teachers in these schools and assigned to HSCL duties either in individual schools or in clusters of schools,

In addition to the above, a pilot project to support Traveller and Roma pupils, under the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy, is in operation in 4 locations with 1 HSCL Coordinator assigned in each location. A further 10 HSCL Coordinators are employed under Dormant Accounts funding to support attendance, participation and retention among Traveller and Roma students, across 14 non-DEIS post-primary schools.

With regard to Co. Meath, in the 2019/2020 school year, there were 7 HSCL Coordinators assigned in the county. In the 2023/2024 school year there are 11 HSCL Coordinators assigned in the county.

This increase occurred in 2022, when I announced the single largest expansion of the DEIS programme, benefiting 361 schools.